Fresh from releasing the manically jubilant, rollicking fun new single 'In My Mind', Perth-based international collective The Witchy Djypsies will celebrate with a hometown show this weekend.
Instantly erupting with pulsing beats and prowling basslines, 'In My Mind' careens into moody yet mischievous terrain as it balances smoky western backdrops against punchy brass, deep harmonies and a sprinkle of string shedding. "I'm surprised we didn't melt the strings," shares drummer Jimmy Marelich.Inspired by the likes of two-tone ska legends Madness as well as Strangely Arousing, The Cat Empire, Doe Maari, Zoufris Maracs and Mano Negra, 'In My Mind' originally came together in 2022.
"I wanted to write a song about overthinking and feeling everything all at once," vocalist and instrumentalist Joana Lavole says. "I was sitting outside at about 2am in a dead silent night witnessing the endless train of thoughts and overwhelming feelings that come with it.
"I wrote the intro then and had a bit of a concept. I brought it to the band, and we shaped it together. We actually worked on that track while touring up north in 2022. We had just done our last gig in Exmouth and we all got COVID. We were stuck on a campsite and I do believe the fever brought out the best of us!"
Local fans can definitely expect a party when the group's 'In My Mind' single launch takes over in Fremantle this Saturday at Mojos Bar. "Expect the usual shenanigans," shares Joana.
"A pumping dance floor, a super-fun night, some sexy new merch and a line-up of local talents! Jamie David will open the night with his hilarious storytelling and songwriting.
"Loose Carrot will then take over with their infectious blend of funk, soul and jazz. We will do our thing, firing up the souls in your hearts and shoes; and Loose Springsteen will close the night with his hybrid live electro set. Expect house, funk, disco, beats and brass."
Ahead of the show, here The Witchy Djypsies share some advice from their own touring experiences that have seen them travel throughout Western Australia and beyond including playing Nannup Music Festival and Blossom Festival.
1: The Show Must Go On
We've had multiple occasions where someone is sick, but the shows absolutely must go on. One time we were playing for Fringe Festival in Bunbury, but Jo got COVID a few days before. The boys played a one-hour instrumental set and we were super glad we did because not only did we have loads of fun, we still got people bouncing.2: Get Help From Your Friends & Family
We've been really lucky and created an awesome community of friends around us that support our project and come with us on tour. Not only do they come to the shows, they help out and volunteer their time to work behind the merch desk or design artwork for us.
3: Get A Sound Engineer
Honestly cannot recommend this enough! Having a sound engineer that comes with you to shows that knows their stuff and knows your tracks makes a huge difference. They'll bump up your songs at just the right time, but they'll also get super mad and tell all the musos to stop jamming when we should be sound-checking. Shoutout to our legendary techs Nathan Bell (Bell Acoustics) and Zak Johnson.4: Don't Forget Your Guitarist At Camp
We were camping with about 20 mates, but had a gig to play nearby. In the scramble of organising everyone into the various cars and vans, we managed to leave our previous guitarist Dave behind.It wasn't until soundcheck 45 minutes later that we realised we didn't have enough members onstage. We called him and he told us he was embracing his punk side and hitchhiking to the gig. While most people would be pretty pissed, he was laughing about it when he arrived.
5: Things Go Wrong And That's Okay
Ohhhhhh man, things can go really wrong. Whether it's your saxophone player Chris not making it to the gig in Karijini because he decided the best thing to do was to take a 4x4 track in his Suzuki Swift, or it's playing at a venue where people keep asking if you play AC/DC covers, things go wrong and that's okay.Pick yourself up, find a solution, learn from your mistakes and laugh about it. Life's too short to not laugh your ass off!
The Witchy Djypsies plays Mojos Bar (Fremantle) on 12 July.
